Thankfully, it worked...but...it caused one heck of a headache, and took me days rather than hours to complete. I was ever so proud of the final result...so proud in fact that I went on to make more...then I took the original idea, twisted it up and created something entirely original and a little bit different. The people that received my makes were also pleased with the finished projects...they worked well, but I vowed not to make them again...they're not easy to do, are very time consuming and pretty costly in regards to the amount of card and paper you use. So I put the projects in my portfolio and forgot all about them...
Until that is, the day Mum came home from work and asked me to make another advent calendar!! The craft store where she works had been asked to have lots of inspirational ideas dotted about the store. She'd been speaking with some of her bosses, telling them the sort of things we've made and before I could say no, I was sitting in the craft area making up the advent calendar!!
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy making them, but it's a very long winded process...how long?? Well, I shall explain...
Firstly you need about 30 or so sheets of card...you can choose any colour, but I find that white is easiest to work with (and cheapest) and then you can cover it with lots of papers and pretty things!!...
From those sheets of A4 card, you then cut 24 squares and 24 strips of card...one sheet of card will make both a square and a strip...so long as you remember to concentrate and don't keep talking like me and forgetting which bit you've cut like I tend to do that is!! Ooo and by the way for any paper crafters reading this, I don't have a die to cut each of these from, I literally measured and cut each one with a craft knife and ruler!!
Next up you have score the folds in each of the squares and strips...I used my hougie board, but you could easily use other score boards. Again each individual piece of card requires you to measure where the score lines need to go ...that's 48 pieces to measure and score individually!! Once scored, you then cut out the un neccssary parts of the squares to make the shapes of your drawers....
Now that you have all your drawers and sleeves measured, it's time to start decorating...in order to open the drawers, you need to add some form of fastener to hold onto...I used split pins, but you could also use ribbon or buttons so long as they're stuck on well enough. As I said before, I like to use plain white card, for ease, but as it would be a little boring if left plain, I then cut out 24 little rectangular shapes to cover the front of the drawers and stick them on...
once the pins are in and the decorative paper rectangles are stuck, it's time to fold and stick your drawers and sleeves together...now's the time you find out if all your measurements were right!!
If they are, you'll now have 24 drawers and 24 sleeves...
with the drawer fitting inside the sleeve...
being tight enough to not have gaps, but loose enough to open....told you it was fiddley didn't I!!
So now you're drawers are made...what next?? Well, now you have to put them all together to create the calendar...
There are lots of options with the shapes you can form them all into. I started by making the box shape, but once you know how to do this the possibilities are endless...I've seen some where people have made them into Christmas trees!!
To make the box style drawers, you stick the drawers together in little blocks of three...I tend to use sellotape around the outside of the drawers...you won't see any of the tape as it will be covered...
Once the three drawers are stuck together, you have to cut another strip of card and stick it down one side of the drawers from top to bottom...again I tape that at the top and bottom as you won't see the tape once it's all placed together..
Once you have your blocks of threes, you simply build them up to create a square...making sure the drawer fronts are on the outside!! I then tape it all together to give it extra hold and strength...
You'll have two layers of 12 drawers that sit one on top of the other....
All that's left now is to decorate your squares. As I made this one for the craft store, I used the papers and images from their current stock. You can of course change the colour conmbinations and decorative finishes to make your own personalised calendar.
Once completely decorated, you then cut a slightly larger square to sit on the top (covering all your taped up mess) and another for the bottom so it has a base to sit on...add the numbers to the drawers in any order you like, and hey presto you're advent calendar is complete!!
As I said, it's very fiddley, takes a heck of a long time, but always seems to look pretty when it's finished!! I'm not making these to sell due to the amount of time they take up, but if you feel like you want to give this idea a go yourself, you can find the instructions here ...good luck!!
Ooo and check out my drawers on display in the store!!...
Little x
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